BISP fraud
Among them are 5423 officers of grades 17 to 22 who got their spouses included in the list of BISP beneficiaries. During the first year the recipients of BISP cash transfer were identified and selected by parliamentarians through a process of recommendation. BISP will launch its first programme that conditions cash payments on schooling. BISP also provides cash payments for emergency relief efforts. The efforts by Dr Sania to ensure cash payments under BISP only go to the deserving families and the expansion of the scheme to other domains deserves appreciation.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 21, 2020 18:45 UTC
SAPM Shahzad Akbar’s brother accused of land grab
The civil servants include former Rawalpindi deputy commissioner Sardar Saifullah Khan Dogar and ex-additional deputy commissioner for revenue Rizwan Qadeer. Saifullah was transferred on January 20 and replaced with Capt (r) Muhammad Anwarul Haq, while Rizwan Qadeer was transferred two days earlier. According to media reports, Shahzad Akbar had summoned the Rawalpindi commissioner and deputy commissioner to the Prime Minister’s Office and severely reprimanded both officers before they were transferred. A news channel reported that ADC Revenue Rizwan Qadeer had inspected the land after the incident, reviewed the relevant documents, and ruled against Murad Akbar. The channel claimed that Qadeer’s report had angered Shahzad Akbar, who then misused his authority to pressurise the Punjab Revenue Authority’s Rawalpindi office, Punjab police, and other institutions.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 21, 2020 18:22 UTC
Inquiry against Justice Isa malicious, court told
A ten-member larger bench of the court headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Maqbool Baqar, Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik, Justice Faisal Arab, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed heard the case regarding proceedings of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) against Justice Qazi Faez Isa. Justice Munib Akhtar asked was the Supreme Judicial Council bound to the inquiry of administration? Raza Rabbani said that his question was that the President, the Prime Minister cannot order any such inquiry and such inquiry would be illegal. Justice Umar Ata Bandial said that the post of the Prime Minister was constitutional and the Prime Minister was the head and leader of the government. Justice Umar Ata Bandial said that the court highly respects the Prime Minister.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 21, 2020 17:37 UTC
AirSial given another chance to fly
The approval was given in a cabinet meeting that was held last Tuesday after it was requested by the Aviation Division. The deposit will be refunded and the company will have to apply again for the new licence again. It was further informed that Air Sial was issued an RPT License in 2017, but the company could not obtain the AOC within two years. The company has also affixed a copy of the confirmation letter for the lease of three Airbus A320 aircraft and expected deliveries by May 2020. A spokesman of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) while talking to Pakistan Today said that Air Sial had deposited Rs 100m in security deposit to obtain the RPT License for the commencement of flight operations.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 21, 2020 16:41 UTC
Parents can pass on pollution’s dangers to child, says study
If parents’ are exposed to unhealthy air before conceiving, it can harm the child’s heart health, concluded a study by experts recently. And they found an abundance of evidence of harm to the offspring of parents that routinely breathed dirty air . “This suggests that heart problems related to pollution exposure could start even before conception, and if that”s true it has implications worldwide,” said Wold. They examined epigenetic regulators, which play an important role in the expression of genes – meaning that they influence predisposition to health problems, including cardiovascular disease. “We already know that humans have dramatic cardiovascular effects from exposure to dirty air, high blood pressure in particular.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 21, 2020 16:07 UTC
PM to expose India at World Economic Forum: Firdous
ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan will expose the true face of India before the international community during his visit to Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum. Addressing a press conference in the federal capital, she said the prime minister, in his interaction with world leaders, will apprise them of the prevalent situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) and the worst human rights atrocities being committed by India. She said that almost five months have passed during which Kashmiris have been subjected to numerous restrictions on speech, movement, and economic activities. She appreciated the responsible role of opposition which is a great achievement of democracy. She lamented that no one had given due attention to the problems faced by small traders in the past.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 21, 2020 15:11 UTC
Centre treating Sindh like a colony, claims Bilawal
–PPP chief asks PTI govt to quickly resolve matter of Sindh IGP’s removalKARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday lashed out at the federal government over its reluctance to replace Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kaleem Imam, saying that centre was treating the province like a colony. He asked whether Sindh did not fall under the jurisdiction of the Constitution and had a separate law. “Sindh is being treated like a colony that has to look elsewhere for orders,” he said. Bilawal further asked the federal government to resolve the issue as soon as possible as his party was accountable to the people of Sindh. “Now they want to remove the Sindh IGP, and put someone else in his position,” the lawyer had said.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 21, 2020 15:00 UTC
Pakistan Horti Expo 2020 to commence from Jan 22
-More than 100 stalls of seasonal vegetables and fruits will be part of the expoLAHORE: Pakistan Horti Expo 2020 will commence from January 22 in Lahore and will conclude on January 23 at the Expo Centre. The two days long expo is being organised by Establishment of Model Farms Project (EMFP), an initiative of the agriculture department. “This year we will have more than 100 stalls comprising various species of citrus, potatoes and all seasonal vegetables and fruits,” he said, adding that around 30-40 international exhibitors and participants have already reached Pakistan. Sabir Gondal, a citrus grower from Sargodha, said that he is participating in the expo for the second time. Agreeing with him, Nasar Rizvi, a potato exporter from Okara, said that he aims to attract international customers at the expo to increase his exports this year.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 21, 2020 14:15 UTC
US decries Iran threat to withdraw from global nuclear treaty
GENEVA: A US envoy said on Tuesday that Iran’s threat to quit the global nuclear treaty if European countries refer Tehran to the U.N. Security Council after declaring it in violation of a 2015 pact would send a “very, very negative message”. “On behalf of the people of Kerman province, we will pay a $3 million reward in cash to whoever kills Trump,” lawmaker Ahmad Hamzeh told the 290-seat parliament, ISNA reported. He did not say if the idea of a reward had any official backing from Iran’s clerical rulers. “If we had nuclear weapons today, we would be protected from threats … We should put the production of long-range missiles capable of carrying unconventional warheads on our agenda. This is our natural right,” he was quoted as saying by ISNA.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 21, 2020 13:07 UTC
North Korea may seek ‘new path’ after US fails to meet deadline
GENEVA: North Korea on Tuesday said as the United States had ignored a year-end deadline for nuclear talks, it no longer felt bound by its commitments, which included a halt to its nuclear testing, and may “seek a new path”. Speaking as the envoy from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), he accused the United States of applying “the most brutal and inhuman sanctions”. “If the United States tries to enforce unilateral demands and persists in imposing sanctions, North Korea may be compelled to seek a new path,” Ju added. North Korea warned in December that it may take an unspecified “new path” if the United States failed to meet its expectations with a new approach to negotiations. US military commanders said the move could include the testing of a long-range missile, which North Korea has suspended since 2017, along with nuclear warhead tests.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 21, 2020 12:56 UTC
Political row flares as Lebanon struggles to form government
The comments by Suleiman Frangieh about Gebran Bassil, head of the political party founded by President Michel Aoun, point to deepening complications in the drive to form the government even as Lebanon’s financial emergency deepens. Ordinary Lebanese have been hit hard by banks’ restrictions on access to cash, a slump in the Lebanese pound, job losses and inflation. FPM, the largest Christian party, has been seeking a third of the cabinet’s expected seats, according to political sources, a share that would effectively afford it a veto power which it also enjoyed under the previous government. At a news conference on Tuesday Frangieh, leader of the Christian party Marada, cast blame for the delay squarely on Bassil and the FPM. “He is pushing us toward a precipice and saying: if you are not with us then you are to blame for the obstruction,” Frangieh said of Bassil.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 21, 2020 12:45 UTC
Protester killed as Iraq police struggle to stem unrest
One protester was killed in Baghdad while another succumbed to a bullet wound sustained on Monday in Baquba city, medical sources said, adding at least 50 demonstrators were wounded. Anti-government unrest has crippled Iraq since Oct 1, with protesters demanding an end to what they say is deeply-rooted corruption and a ruling elite that has controlled Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003. Tuesday’s unrest followed violent gatherings on Monday that killed six Iraqis, including two police officers, and wounded scores across the country. Three Katyusha rockets fell inside the capital’s heavily fortified Green Zone which houses government buildings and foreign missions, police sources said. The rockets were launched from Zafaraniyah district outside Baghdad, the sources said, adding that two landed near the US embassy.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 21, 2020 12:45 UTC
Britain wants friendly relationship with EU in the future: UK PM’s spokesman
LONDON: Britain wants a future relationship with the European Union to be based on friendly cooperation, the prime minister’s spokesman said on Tuesday when asked about a report suggesting London could be fined if it breaks the terms of a trade deal. Earlier, the Financial Times said plans presented by the European Commission on Monday suggested that Britain could be fined or lose preferential access to the European market if it violated the terms of a future relationship deal. The spokesman also said the government would seek to overturn any changes brought to its divorce deal, or Withdrawal Agreement Bill, by the upper house of parliament, the House of Lords.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 21, 2020 12:33 UTC
France, US agree to extend digital tax row talks
PARIS: Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump have agreed to extend negotiations on a dispute over a French tax on digital giants to the end of the year, postponing Washington’s threat of sanctions against Paris, French officials said Tuesday. Tech companies often pay little tax in countries in which they are not physically present. Washington said the tax singled out US companies such as Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Netflix. A certain number of details need to be worked out, but I believe we’re going in the right direction.”Le Maire declined, however, to say whether France would suspend its digital tax. After blocking the OECD talks for several years, Washington relaunched them last year only to make proposals in December which France rejected.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 21, 2020 12:00 UTC
Punjab and Sindh govts block release of Zindagi Tamasha over ‘unrest’ fears
–Controversial film’s producers move court against ‘interference’ by Tehreek-e-LabbaikThe Punjab and Sindh provincial governments on Tuesday blocked the release of the controversial film Zindagi Tamasha in their respective provinces, citing potential public unrest. The board advised all cinema exhibitors and distributors to avoid the film’s exhibition “till further decision” by it. Meanwhile, the Punjab Information Department notified Zindagi Tamasha’s director Sarmat Khoosat that his film will be re-examined “in the wake of persistent complaints received from different quarters”. The petition has named Sindh Film Censor Board, Punjab Film Censor Board and Markazi Film Censor Board as respondents. On Sunday, he posted another open letter, this time addressed to “my beloved Pakistan and Pakistanis”, questioning whether he should withdraw Zindagi Tamasha or not.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 21, 2020 11:37 UTC